GSF wants shipper input on carbon reduction

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Global Shippers’ Forum, a body that represents regional shippers associations around the world, has released a brief emphasizing the role shippers must play in reducing carbon emissions from global supply chains.
On Monday, GSF unveilved the second edition of its Maritime Emissions Briefing Note at the Clean Cargo Working Group’s fall meeting held in Jersey City, N.J. The briefing note provides a comprehensive assessment of the various emissions schemes and proposals tabled by governments, the shipping industry and other non-governmental organizations currently under consideration by the International Maritime Organization. It also considers the main industry-based schemes, including GSF’s own maritime supply chain “decarbonization” initiative undertaken in conjunction with Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
“The CCWG is to be applauded for its on-going efforts in championing industry best practices and developing practical industry tools and solutions to improve the environmental performance of the maritime supply chain,” said Bruce Carlton, GSF board member and president of the Washington-based National Industrial Transportation League.
GSF Secretary General Chris Welsh said shippers should have a greater say in the development of any global market-based initiative to be agreed in IMO and other international bodies such as the European Union primarily because shippers will ultimately bear the costs of such schemes.
“The Briefing Note underscores the fact that shippers are increasingly driving environmental improvement, not only through collaboration with partners in the supply chain, but through competition based on carriers’ environmental performance,” he said. “In developing an appropriate global market-based maritime emissions reduction scheme that will be acceptable to shippers, it must target operational efficiency, focusing on efficient management of fuel and fuel costs, and the lowest carbon cost per unit moved.
“We therefore welcome the fuel monitoring approach recently announced by the European Commission, which could provide the basis for accurate data on fuel consumption which could be the basis for an acceptable efficiency-focused approach going forward," Welsh added. - Eric Johnson